Cleveland Browns bye week report cards: Wide receiver

Giving out mid-term grades for the Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns enter their bye week with a record of 5-3, and since they’ve played half their season, it’s a good time to give out mid-term report cards for each of the position groups. Next up are the Browns wide receivers, which includes what should be one of the best 1-2 punches in the NFL.

With Kevin Stefanski at the helm, Cleveland was expected to become a predominantly running offense, and that has certainly been the case through half a season. Even without Nick Chubb for 4.75 games, the Browns are second in the NFL in rushing yards. Kareem Hunt has picked up the slack, and ranks sixth in rushing yards despite being 11th in carries. The improved offensive line has certainly helped things, although they’ve been without Wyatt Teller since Week 5.

Because of that, Baker Mayfield isn’t throwing the ball nearly as much. He currently ranks 30th in yards per game and 23rd in attempts. The important thing is that while Mayfield wasn’t all that good over the first six games of the year, he’s been much more efficient this season than he was in 2019. He’s thrown 15 touchdowns to seven interceptions, a number bolstered by his five-touchdown performance against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7.

But fewer passing attempts means fewer opportunities for his receivers, and their production is suffering because of it. The box score, as usual, doesn’t tell the whole story, so let’s hand out some report cards to the WR corps.